


We All Work Hard

by spoilerknowsbest



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 08:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18752593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoilerknowsbest/pseuds/spoilerknowsbest
Summary: The wedding of Cassandra Cain brings her best friend back to town, and of course, Steph has to check in with the new kids at the grown-up table.





	We All Work Hard

Tim was off being Tim and Cass was, of course, busy with her new wife, so Stephanie thought it was the best time to take a round and bother her successor. She discovered Nell waving a fork of cake at Damian before popping it into her own mouth in triumph. Whatever she missed, Steph approved. Nell looked sleek in a soft grey shift dress and a tightly bound updo. Damian simply looked like himself, only taller, broader, and wearing a damn good black and white tuxedo.

"The wedding was so gorgeous!" Stephanie gushed as she depositing herself between the pair.

"Steph! I missed you! How's Metropolis?" Nell reached out, hugging the blonde tight with her free arm.

"It's great from the other side of the window." Long school hours and her night job made it a little hard to play tourist. The blonde squad pulled her out of the apartment when they were both there and actually had time, of course. Life certainly wasn't boring.

"Well, yeah, med school is supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, there would be a lot more doctors." They settled into their chairs properly and Damian simply nodded, quietly observing.

"Let's talk about good stuff, like this wedding." She always felt awkward about not being in Gotham anymore. It seemed wrong when so many of her friends were still here or, well, close to here. 

"Right? I need to get married just to get to wear a dress like that," Nell responded, gesturing with her fork with each word. Steph made a grab for the fork, but instead, Damian caught the young woman's slender wrist and took the utensil himself.

"You want to get married to wear a dress once? Really, Little, that's just wasteful." A spoilsport, as always. 

"Uh huh, says the boy who never wears the same pair of shoes." The women laughed together and Damian shot them an irritated look that he clearly practiced often, but it bordered much too close to the pout of his youth.

"Why are you looking at my shoes? I wear the same shoes, you're meant to purchase new shoes every three months-" He had started to defend himself when Stephanie locked on to those words.

"Three months? Who told you that?"

"The saleswoman." Both girls cracked up again, and Damian shifted awkwardly. His blush wasn't as easy to see, but it was surely there.

"What?" He demanded.

"Damian, come on, she just wanted to make a sale. She probably told you that you had great foot shape, too."

"Oh, yeah, like that one guy that told Cass her feet would look good in anything?" Mall adventures were a staple for all former and present Batgirls. Nell may have been younger, but she was a great tiebreaker for where to go for lunch or what shops to skip. 

"I think he noticed the designer handbag she had that day."

"You know, I never would have thought she'd have such good taste."

"Nell, she wears an all-black costume with gold accents. Of course she has good taste."

"Are you saying that my blue and black Batgirl getup is not stylish?" An age-old argument, but a good-natured one.

"She's saying she used to run around in an over-sized eggplant cloak so anyone is stylish after that." Damian chimed in while the women had nearly forgotten about his presence as their persistence to tease him had turned to other conversations.

Stephanie shoved Damian's shoulder softly, not enough for actual damage. Everyone agreed to not fight at the wedding. "Thanks a lot, Mister Green Underoos!"

"Grayson retired the green underwear and you know it." But he was clearly unphased by the shove, was that a smile on his face?

"Uhuh, look, you two play nice. I gotta go save the boss from a phone call." With that, Nell left them alone. They both watched her go stand in front of Babs with her hand extended for the cellphone. It would not be an easy fight. That side of the room just got much more interesting, forcing Stephanie to scoot closer to Damian to get a better look. His arm rested along the back of her seat. He looked almost relaxed, but there was always a tension in his face, something in his mouth or brow.

"She told me they're going country hopping for the honeymoon," Stephanie spoke finally and Damian grunted in acknowledgment.

"Knowing Cassandra, it's going to be half work. She should take the rest. Enjoy herself."

"You're saying she should actually take a real vacation?" She turned to look at him with her words. 

"Of course. She deserves it. She works hard."

"I don't know if I would have believed this was you saying this a few years back." Steph smiled, touching her head to his shoulder playfully. She didn't expect him to shift his arm around her shoulders, but she didn't argue with it either. "We all work hard, you know."

"I know." That was even more surprising. The kid she knew would have made a snide comment about how some people work harder than others. But here he was talking about how people deserve time off. Maybe he was growing up. Steph shifted to lean into his shoulder, savoring this bit of affection from a man she didn't think was all that affectionate. 

"Damian, you want to get married one day?" She felt his shoulders tense for a moment at the question.

"Tt, Brown, it's inappropriate to propose to someone at their sister's wedding." 

Stephanie snorted. "Yeah, yeah, you're too young for that anyway. I mean, like, someday. In the future."

"I'm nineteen, some people get married younger. The legal age is-"

"The creepiest answer? Totally agree."

"If you're just going to make jokes." He started to take his arm away, but she grabbed it and tugged it back around her shoulders. Her cheek touched the back of his hand.

"No, I like you cuddly." He made a soft sound that could have been annoyance, but he stayed put.

"I thought you said I was demanding." Steph couldn't see his smirk, but she could hear it.

"Ha ha."

They just sat for a moment, quietly watching people laugh and enjoy themselves. So many of their friends and family rarely had this sort of peace or the time to simply relax. Damian softly brushed his fingers along Stephanie's bare shoulder. The tension had slid from him, he almost seemed soft beneath his designer tux and possibly more coveted muscles.

"Hey, Damian?" Stephanie broke the silence, as they both suspected she would eventually. His fingers stilled and the tension returned, leaving Stephanie sure if she should have said anything.

"Stephanie?" That was more jarring than anything else that had passed between them that night. She tilted her head to look up at him, finding his gorgeous dark eyes even closer than she expected. The slight tilt to the edges leaned into gentle creases. Steph wondered how often he smiled and if he ever laughed with pure abandon as she did so often. What even made him smile anymore? At that moment, she truly wondered who was this man he had become.

It was at that same moment Damian leaned in that small distance nearer and brushed his lips against hers. Soft, quick, but clearly not an accident. Damian did things for a reason, a purpose. When he pulled back, Stephanie's eyes kept darting back and forth between his eyes and his mouth. She didn't notice the blush that colored his entire face or the strength of his grip on her shoulder as he waited for her reaction. There was only his lips, his eyes, and the soft sound of annoyance he made as he started to release her.

She didn't respond with words, instead she reached up and let her fingers gently scrap along his neck. With a quick pull, she placed her lips to his again. The angle was terrible and frustrating, so Damian moved an arm down to her waist and tugged her into his lap. He kept his hands on her, holding her as they pressed close. The heat between them was just starting to rise when a balloon popped somewhere too close. 

They both jumped, startled. Damian growled in irritation, his hands holding Stephanie around the waist still. She, on the other hand, had almost lost her balance. The pop was followed by merry laughter, leaving Steph to laugh awkwardly and let herself relax. Her hands fell down to rest on top of his.

"You know, I... I should go make the rounds. Maid of Honor stuff. I-"

"Yeah. Yes, that's, mm that's fine." He looked away, his hands slipped away and leaving her feeling cold. "You should go."

"I should..." She scooted off his lap and pressed down her skirt to sit properly. Her eyes sought out his, but he refused to meet them.

"Should we-"

"I have to go." He declared as he stood, pulling a cellphone from his pocket. "Tell Little to keep her cake to herself next time."

"Huh?" But he was already too far off. Stephanie hugged herself as she watched him head off, not actually leaving the spot until Nell returned.

"Hey, where'd he storm off to?"

"Oh, uh, he didn't say. I told him I had to go, so he just..." It felt weird to tell her about the kiss so for now, she kept it to herself. "He wanted me to tell you to keep the cake to yourself?"

Nell snorted, shaking her head. "He's such a baby. I was trying to help him."

"Help him what?"

"He kept talking about you and I saw you coming, so I was going to shove a piece of cake in his mouth so he wouldn't embarrass himself."

"Yeah, I'm sure he was being obnoxious," she said softly, much less certain than she would have been even just an hour ago.

"Come on, Stephanie. He couldn't take his eyes off of you all night."

"Oh."


End file.
